Thank you for allowing me to join you this afternoon. It is a
pleasure and an honor for me to be here. I am sure all of you know
that the national office of Concerns of Police Survivors is in my home
state of Missouri. Being at this event is like running into a neighbor
while on vacation half a world away from home.

Police Week is an important event for Washington, D.C., not
because Congress is here, or the Department of Justice, or even
because of the police memorial, where so many of us were last night.
Police Week is important because each and every one of you is here.

The genius of our American system of government is that we
believe that it is the people who grant the government its powers. We
believe that it is the people's values that should be imposed on
Washington -- not Washington's values on the people.

For 20 years, Concerns of Police Survivors has been doing
critical work for the families and co-workers of law enforcement
officers killed in the line of duty. From counseling and peer support to
scholarship funds and Outward Bound programs, COPS is helping
those left behind deal with the profound sense of loss, distress and
frustration that accompany an officer's death. It is important that
people in Washington know about the work of COPS. I thank you for
all that you do, and I thank you for being here.

The first priority of government is to protect the lives and liberties
of the people. When criminals violate the law and prey on the
innocent, we expect our government to right these wrongs. We turn to
our government for justice.

We are here to remember the men and women, the husbands and
wives, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, who made the
ultimate sacrifice for the cause of justice.

Last night, I said that the work of law enforcement officers is not
just a job. It is a calling, a vocation. The men and women of law
enforcement are drawn to their role in life by a profound desire to
serve and to protect. They seek to uphold our nation's highest ideals
of duty, honor, and courage.

You are here because a family member or loved one chose to
take a stand, to defend the ideals that have made our nation strong and
free. They made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of justice so that
others might live in safety and security.

Last night, I discussed the successes law enforcement has been
achieving. It is important that we remember the purpose that our fallen
heroes undertook every day. It is important that you know that their
lives made a difference and that their efforts changed America for the
better.

Their efforts helped drive the violent crime rate to its lowest level
in 30 years. Between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, the violent crime rate
plunged 21 percent.

This means that compared to the year 2000, almost one million
fewer Americans were spared the pain and anguish of being
victimized.

The success in our nation's fight against crime means that 27
percent fewer people were robbed . 23 percent fewer men and women
were assaulted . and 27 percent fewer women -- sisters, mothers,
and daughters -- were raped.

The teamwork of the men and women of state, local and federal
law enforcement has made our streets and our homes safer. Under
Project Safe Neighborhoods, working together we are fulfilling the
President's promise to lock up those who commit gun crimes. The
results speak for themselves: there were 130,000 fewer victims of gun
crime between 2001 and 2002 than in 1999 and 2000.

These successes would not have been possible were it not for
the men and women of law enforcement who knew where they stood
and claimed that ground with honor and courage. Our nation owes
these men and women a great debt. On their behalf, please accept my
profound gratitude.

We also owe you, the spouses and families, a debt of gratitude.
Families and friends also face the unknown, never knowing if that kiss
on the way out the door, that hug of appreciation, or that smile of
friendship will be their final goodbye. But our thanks -- and our
respect -- is not enough.

When tragedy struck your families, you found that you were not
alone. You are held in the collective embrace of the law enforcement
family that surrounds you even now, thanks to Concerns of Police
Survivors.

Every day, public safety officers across America answer the call
of those in distress. Police officers, deputy sheriffs, state troopers,
firefighters, and first responders answer this call with courage,
determination, and valor. Every day, we call upon public safety officers
to respond quickly to emergencies and to protect our families, our
neighbors, and our communities. Government must be equally
responsive to the needs of the families of officers who have sacrificed.

The idea behind the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act, which
was passed in 1976, was just that. The Act provides benefits including
death, education assistance, and disability to the families left behind
after the death of a public safety officer.

During my time in the Senate, I had the privilege of working
closely with officers and their families to insure that the promises of
the Public Safety Officer's Benefits Act are fulfilled and expanded. In
2000, I sponsored legislation that expanded financial assistance for
college expenses to all spouses and dependent children of law
enforcement officers slain since 1978.

At the Justice Department, the Public Safety Officers' Benefits
Office (PSOB) is run by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. I know that
the program has not been without its frustrations for many of you.

I was deeply troubled to learn, for example, that after a police
officer was shot and killed in the line of duty on August 12, 2002, a
PSOB claim -- submitted that very month -- was not awarded until 13
months later. The reason cited was that requirements and policies
regarding beneficiaries slowed the benefits process.

Such a delay is unacceptable. Working with Concerns of Police
Survivors, the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association
of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs' Association, the PSOB
program streamlined the claims process for families. Today, all
required forms are being revised to lessen the reporting burden on
families initiating claims.

Another example of unacceptable bureaucratic delay was
suffered by a police officer who sustained a line of duty injury and
applied for disability through the PSOB in 1995. After filing all of the
paperwork -- which took an entire year -- the injured officer's file was
lost. The complex file was rebuilt, and the police officer finally
received his disability award in December 2002 -- nearly 8 years after
his injury.

The PSOB is now putting in place a new computer database of all
active PSOB cases. This will help ensure that no officer or family
receives such treatment again.

Delays in processing claims have also arisen because of the
complicated medical issues that frequently arise. I was troubled
deeply when I learned of the delay involving a public safety officer who
died following smoke inhalation on September 18, 2001. A claim for
benefits was submitted in 2002, a year after her death. Then it took
another year to approve the claim because communication over forms,
medical documentation, and reviews held up the award to her
survivors.

To resolve this issue, we have retained the services of a cadre of
medical specialists to deal with the medical issues surrounding
claims. We have increased the availability of qualified consultants so
that we can decrease the time it takes to review cases.

These changes are good. But we can do better. Bureaucratic red tape should
not be allowed to injure further those who have already suffered so much. That
is why today I am directing the Justice Department's PSOB office to make this
guarantee to qualified beneficiaries: Once the office has received all necessary
information, and determined the potential beneficiaries on a claim, a determination
will be made on the claim within 90 days. No delays. No excuses.

There is no way to replace a life lost. But we can honor the memories of those
who have gone before us by honoring the values for which they sacrificed.

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Life brings sorrow and
joys alike. It is what a man does with them, not what they do to him,
that is the true test of his mettle."

The men and women we honored last night, the men and women
we have honored in the past and continue to honor to this day,
demonstrated their mettle. We can all be grateful for their service to
the nation. But it has fallen to you, the survivors, to continue to
demonstrate your character. And you, too, have proven your mettle in
the face of tragedy and adversity.

Our nation is safer because of your sacrifice. Our nation is
stronger because of your courage. Our lives are more blessed
because we have in our midst, and have had in our midst, men and
women of such character.